Steve Borthwick: RFU backs England coach despite ‘hugely disappointing’ run

Steve Borthwick’s boss backed the England coach but said there would be a full review of their harrowing Six Nations campaign after the team’s final tour match against France on Saturday.

England sit fifth in the table and fall well short of the title after back-to-back defeats to Scotland, Ireland and Italy, the Azzurri’s first defeat, have devastated their ambitions and raised questions about Borthwick’s future.

“After a 12-match winning streak, these last three results have been hugely disappointing and we feel that as much as everyone else,” said Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the Rugby Football Union.

“Steve and the coaching staff have been working tirelessly to make improvements and we are fully committed to supporting them and the players as they face France this weekend and then look ahead to the Nations Championship.

“Part of that support will be being open about the things that went wrong during the Six Nations and ensuring everyone has a clear idea of ​​how we will get through these challenges together. “This is something we will be talking about and working on in the coming days and weeks.

“We will work together to understand why we have failed to meet expectations and expectations for these games and to correct them.

“England fans rightly expect a team that learns and grows in the face of adversity and we are confident this group will do everything they can to deliver that.”

Borthwick defended his record and the team’s direction after Italy, who had lost their previous 32 games against England, won 23-18 in Rome.

When asked if he was the right man for the job, the 46-year-old actor replied: “Absolutely.”

“It’s a tough time at the moment but what we’re going to do is learn from it and make sure we’re stronger going forward.

“It’s hard right now, and we’re not hiding from the fact that it’s hard.”

More to follow.